Topographic Maps

Dates for map assignments: or

| Topographic Map Symbols | Drawing a Cross Section |

In this course we examine and interpret the cultural landscapes of North America by means of slides, readings, and topographic maps. Maps allow us to "see" various kinds of cultural landscapes without traveling to the places that are represented on the maps. Maps are a cheap way of traveling! Maps also provide insights not readily apparent on the ground, where we can only see in a linear fashion; instead maps show things from a spatial or aerial perspective. By reading maps carefully you will not only know a great deal about places and people that are unknown to you but also better understand areas that you already know.

Since most of you are unfamiliar with reading maps, examine the symbols and colors for USGS topographic maps and for Canadian topographic maps.
If you want other maps, electronic versions of topographic maps are available from the web: USA and Canada.

Drawing Cross Sections of Topographic Maps
In several topographic assignments you are required to create a cross section or profile of a particular part of the map. Understand how this is done in general before you start your assignments.

Here is an example:
(1) connect points on the map (A and B in this example) and indicate connection in each assignment with a straight line [place tracing paper over this part of the map and draw the necessary lines];

(2) determine the extremes of elevations on the map (already provided in the diagram in each assignment);

(3) draw horizontal lines and label their elevations on (graph) paper (already indicated on the diagram in each assignment);

(4) draw perpendicular lines on the graph (already indicated on the diagram in each assignment);

(5) mark the exact intersections between all the elevations and the distance with Xs on the graph and then join the Xs with a line, which represents the profile.

Created by Ingolf Vogeler on 1 February 1996; last revised on 15 April 2008.